A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to board games and the like and, in particular, to a board game in which words or parts of words are formed from game pieces bearing letters in successive turns by one (or more) player(s).
B. Prior Art
Word games of various kinds are known which can be played by one or more players. Some word games, such as crossword puzzles, require a puzzle chart which is numbered and divided into word-length segments. Crossword puzzles require a list of definitions of words, for both the horizontal and vertical spaces. Of course, formulation of the definitions of such words so as to properly intermesh in both directions is a rather tedious task demanding considerable thought, knowledge and research.
Other word games are known such as the one marketed under the trademark "Scrabble" by Selchow & Righter. That well-known game has a playing board divided into a number of discrete areas, some of which are coded with different colors for enhanced letter count. A number of tiles are also provided bearing, respectively, letters of a given alphabet of a given language. Usually the number of tiles bearing a particular letter corresponds to the frequency of occurrence of that letter in the language involved. A player or players in turn select a certain number of numerals at random and attempt to form a word in each turn which may be totally newly formed or formed by being added onto previously formed words. This is done by placing any number of the tiles in their hand on game areas, whether vertical or horizontal, on the playing board. The game continues until no more tiles can be played by a player to form an added-on or newly-formed word. The winner is determined to be the one who has formed words by tiles whose letter values generally add up to the highest total, some values being enhanced by the position of those tiles on premium areas on the board.
While it is true that Scrabble can be played in certain forms by a single player, its very nature lends itself especially to enjoyment by several players at a time.
It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to provide:
(1) A game which is especially adaptable for playing by a single person.
(2) A game which can be played in conjunction with game pieces from known word games.
(3) A game which is intellectually challenging and highly entertaining to a player or players of all ages and verbal capabilities.
Still other objects of the game will occur to the reader of this specification and the claims as well as the drawings illustrating several embodiments of it.